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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22834429">Forever in Your Debt</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/ardentiia/pseuds/ardentiia'>ardentiia</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Fate, Fire, Fire Emblem: Three Houses Black Eagles Route, Fire Emblem: Three Houses Blue Lions Route, Fire Emblem: Three Houses Golden Deer Route, Fury, Gen, Not Canon Compliant, Pre-Timeskip | Academy Phase (Fire Emblem: Three Houses), Pre-Timeskip | Childhood Phase (Fire Emblem: Three Houses), Tragedy of Duscur (Fire Emblem), War</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-02-21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-02-21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-04-28 14:02:24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,735</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22834429</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/ardentiia/pseuds/ardentiia</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd. Once upon a time, the only title he held was prince. Now, he's the survivor.</p><p>Dedue Molinaro. Once upon a time, he had no title. Now, he's the murderer.</p><p>The Tragedy of Duscur tears through both their lives, leaving Dimitri alone and uncertain, Dedue, orphaned and astray. But perhaps it is fate that brings these two together, in a chance meeting before all is lost to the fire and fury of men.</p><p>---</p><p>This story takes place directly after the assassination of Dimitri's parents, Glenn, and the nobles in their entourage, and follows the story of how Dedue became Dimitri's retainer after the Tragedy of Duscur. Sort of an AU where I re-interpret the events that could have led to Dedue joining up with Dimitri--not strictly canon.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd &amp; Dedue Molinaro</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Fire</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>He’s kneeling in the dust, pants caked in mud as he turns, his tear-stained cheeks reflecting the firelight. He flinches when he sees me, scrambling backward, searching for a place to hide.</p><p>“Wait!”</p><p>The flames roar up around us as the houses ringing the courtyard collapse, ceilings caving in, and walls crumbling. The air shimmers, heat searing my face as I blink grit out of my eyes. There’s nowhere else to go, and we can both sense it.</p><p>“Please,” he begs, frantic and desperate. “Please, I didn’t do it.”</p><p>I study him, the battered fabric of his clothes, his hair ragged and unkempt, skin further darkened by ash. The people of Duscur had slaughtered my family without remorse, but in his frightened gaze, all I can see is myself. </p><p>
  <i>Those aren’t the eyes of a murderer.</i>
</p><p>“I know,” I say, and a wave of surety washes over me, grounding me. I offer a smile to him, and the sight of his shoulders relaxing, even just a little, gives me the confidence that I need to extend a hand. </p><p>He takes it hesitantly, his palm roughened with calluses and covered in dirt and scratches, and lets me help him to his feet. “Thank you, Your Highness,” he says once he’s upright, sweeping into a low bow. “I owe you my life.”</p><p>I shake my head and set my hand on his shoulder. I can feel his muscles tense instinctively but relax a few seconds later, his nervous energy palpable.</p><p>“My name’s Dimitri. What’s yours?”</p><p>He raises his head hesitantly, unwilling to look me in the eye. I back away and beckon to him as I jump over logs and broken walls, carefully avoiding the rubble. After a few seconds, he follows, tracing my trek through the burning streets.</p><p>“I-it’s not important.”</p><p>“Aw, c’mon, I want to know.”</p><p>He pauses.</p><p>“Dedue.” </p><p>His voice is so soft, I nearly miss his mutter amidst the crackling flames.</p><p>“Dedue, huh?” I respond, just as we reach the edge of the village. “Well, it’s nice to meet you, Dedue.”</p><p>He opens his mouth to respond, but before he can, cries of “Dimitri!” catch my attention. I whip my head around, and I can hear people calling in the distance, lifting the weight from my shoulders. “I’m over here!” I shout, waving to the moving shadows as I gravitate towards the fields beyond the ruined houses.</p><p>I halt when I notice he hasn’t moved.</p><p>“Are you coming?”</p><p>He starts, eyes wide with doubt. “I don’t think it’s wise for you to be in my presence,” he says, scuffling his feet in the mud. “They aren’t going to like my people after...all this.”</p><p>“It’s okay,” I say, motioning for him to follow me. “Even if they don’t, I’ll protect you.”</p><p>His face lights up with hope, but he shakes his head. “My family is still here,” he says, looking back. “Our home may be destroyed, but I can’t abandon Duscur so easily.”</p><p>I nod, concealing my surprise. “Then may we meet again,” I say, extending a hand. </p><p>After a moment, he takes it.</p><p>“Thank you, Your Highness. I am in your debt.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Fury</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>A few hours later...</strong>
</p><p>I can hear voices echoing through the stone hallways as I walk at a quick clip, keeping my footsteps as quiet as I can. <i>I can’t believe they’re having a meeting without me. I’m the </i>prince<i>, for Seiros’s sake. What business could they be conducting behind my back?</i></p><p>I slow as I draw nearer to the great oak doors. <i>Maybe they excluded me for a reason. Should I wait and listen? But what if I’m caught?</i></p><p>I can only catch pieces of their conversation from here. Something about…fire. Weapons. Duscur. </p><p><i>Duscur?</i> </p><p>Cornelia casts a smug look at me from behind a lush curtain of hair, her hooded eyes tracking my movements as I walk into the room.</p><p>“Our baby prince is <i>finally</i> here,” she announces, flaring her wrists dramatically. All eyes turn to me, and I freeze, drawing myself up to at least try and conceal the fact that I was eavesdropping.</p><p>“What’s going on?” I ask, shooting Cornelia a dirty look only when she turns her head to whisper to one of the nobles behind her. “Did I miss something?”</p><p>Rufus smooths out one of the maps spread across the table, the crinkling of paper audible. “Dimitri, this is very important business,” he says, his eyes trained on the soldier figurines scattered around the painted kingdoms. “Now is not the time.”</p><p>I step closer, but nobody makes a move to stop me. <i>They wouldn’t dare.</i></p><p>“Tell me the plan,” I say, putting every ounce of command into my voice that I can muster. Somebody snickers in the back, but I can’t tell who. </p><p>“Dimitri,” Rufus rounds the table to place his hand on my shoulder. He’s already dressed for battle, gauntlets cold against my back as he looks down at me. When I meet his gaze, I can see the shadow in his eyes, a deep fury that roots me to the ground, paralyzed like a rabbit under a hawk’s penetrating stare. </p><p>“The people of Duscur murdered my brother without remorse.” He directs his stare to the rest of the nobles in the room, and they all stand up straighter. “They’ve taken our queen and king from us, and the nobles who uplift our kingdom. We’ve lost knights of true valor to their thieving blades, cowardly scum who plague our rule. But <i>no more.</i>”</p><p>A growing murmur sweeps over the gathering as he continues. “Don’t you think it’s time we retaliated?” The clinking of metal punctuates his every word as he starts to pace. “That we took from them what they took from us?”</p><p>He stops, the silence deafening as we all wait to hear his next words.</p><p>“We go to Duscur today.” He picks up his lance, shifting it in his grip. In one sudden move, he sweeps it towards the map, driving the tip straight through the illustrated villages surrounded by soldiers. </p><p>“We go to Duscur, and we kill them all.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Fate</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>A few hours later…</p>
<p>“Stop!” </p>
<p>The soldier halts with an inch to spare, Dedue’s throat pale next to the gleaming blade. I think I’m shaking as much as he is, my lance cold in my hands.</p>
<p>“Your Highness, he’s a traitor.” The soldier’s voice is metallic, distorted through his helmet.</p>
<p>I force my mask into the picture of anger, my eyes hardening as I glare. “Leave him to me.”</p>
<p>The soldier bows and leaves. Once he turns the corner, I let out a breath, casting aside my weapon to lean against a nearby wall.</p>
<p>“This isn’t how I’d imagined we’d meet again. Or how I’d hoped.”</p>
<p>His face is still as he gazes at the piled bodies, the extended, lifeless limbs, the empty stares that litter the streets. I can’t imagine what’s going through his mind right now; his face is expressionless, almost as blank as the dead.</p>
<p>
  <i>Are we...am I a monster in his eyes?</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>I wouldn’t blame him if I was.</i>
</p>
<p>“You saved me.”</p>
<p>His voice breaks through my thoughts. “Not really,” I laugh bitterly, the harsh sound swallowed by the streets robbed of life. “Your people were slaughtered mercilessly, and I stood by. All I <i>could</i> do was stand by.”</p>
<p>“You did what you could.” Dedue’s tone is flat as he shakes his head, letting out a breath into the smoky air.</p>
<p>I squeeze my eyes shut, my fingers curled into a fist. With a sudden twist, I punch the wall beside me, wood splintering beneath the blow. “What’s the point of being a prince if I can’t save those who deserve justice?” I growl, tears threatening to spill over. “All this death, suffering, anguish...for <i>nothing.</i>”</p>
<p>“You believed me then, and you believe me now. That’s more than I could ask for.”</p>
<p>“I do, but the rest of Faerghus doesn’t.” I huff out a breath in frustration. “I wish I could just convince them for you.”</p>
<p>“Your Highness.” He turns and kneels before me as I stand, baffled. “I’ve made up my mind. If you will have me, I would like to be your vassal.” </p>
<p>“Dedue, no.” I shake my head immediately, even as he continues.</p>
<p>“It is now my duty to serve you.” He looks up at me from where he kneels, his mouth set with determination. “It’s the least I can do in thanks for saving my life.”</p>
<p>“You don’t owe me anything,” I say firmly. “I saved you as a friend.”</p>
<p>“And friends have each other’s backs,” he fires back. “Your Highness, if any harm were to befall you, I would never forgive myself.”</p>
<p>I open my mouth to protest, but he cuts me off. “I swear my allegiance to you,” he says, his tone stubborn, offering no chance of debate. </p>
<p>I run my hand through my hair. I can tell there’s nothing I could do to change his mind, but still…I don’t like it. </p>
<p>
  <i>But maybe if people know he’s my retainer, they won’t complain. Right? Surely they couldn’t do any harm to a prince’s vassal. Even so...</i>
</p>
<p>“Alright.”</p>
<p>He looks up, hope glimmering in his eyes, reflected like sun off water. “Thank you, Your Highness.”</p>
<p>“But don’t think that this means you’re lower than me. We’re friends, Dedue. I’d much rather you treat me as an equal than as your master.” I grab my lance off the wall and turn to him. I hesitate for a moment, but the steadfast look in his eyes prompts me forward as I rest my hand on his head.</p>
<p>“Under the eyes of Seiros, I, Dedue Molinaro, pledge myself to the service of His Royal Highness, Prince Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd. I am the sword that strikes against his enemies, for his enemies are mine own. I will protect him with every action I take, for his pain is mine. I shall never turn my back on him, for my heart and soul are his. I willingly sacrifice my blood and body for him, for I belong to him.”</p>
<p>I shiver at the promise in his vow, the binding edge that intertwines our fates. It’s too late to reconsider, but still, I raise my head, turning my gaze to the sky in a desperate plea.</p>
<p>
  <i>Seiros, watch over us. Never let him need to fulfill his oath. Protect him, as you protect us all. </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>Please.</i>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Find me on Twitter! <a href="https://twitter.com/ardentiia">@ardentiia</a></p><p>I write/draw a lot of FE3H stuff :)</p></blockquote></div></div>
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